Head Over Heels Couple Run 2008

First race for the year. Not exactly a race more of a fun run. This one is for couples, married or otherwise. Distance was short only 8km and the couple has to finish together.

Weather was good this morning and as there were only 109 couples, it was not crowded. We started somewhere behind but gradually managed to move into the top quarter. The face was giving a little bit of trouble but it was bearable. We ran at a pace that was fairly manageable to M - around 5.40min/km. It was a good run and we managed to finish together in 41:58 mins which makes it like 5.15min/km. So I guess the distance is a bit short more likely to be just 7km. But still it is a good start to the race calendar for me.

Other sgrunners present were IMD/Yee Hua; Brokie/Vincent; Freddy/spouse; Billy/Tricia and HoHo Runner/spouse. Also got to know Supramaniam from Malaysia and Wendy, the mystery lady also from Malaysia who out of the blue contacted me last year to register her friends for the Real Run. Terence was also there with his wife but they didn't run due to some unforeseen circumstances.

Encouraged by the MC, a lot of couples were finishing in style - from the mundane hands holding to piggy back to kisses... There was also a short game at the end before the prizes were given to the top 3 runners by Prof Kunalan.

For the registration fee of $38/- we had a very good goodie bag:

Trail Shoe Comparo

Went to MacRitchie for a run. Teelee, Trencen and Ayin came along. The objective was to tty out my North Face Arnuva 50 Boa with T@z. The plan was for us to ran half the distance and exchange shoes - my TNF Arnuva 50 Boa with his Salomon XA Pro 3D. The idea was hatched in an earlier blog when I just bought the NFA50B.

As expected, like the comments from friends who had worn the TNFA50B, the shoe was very slippery on the wet ground even though the surface was pretty rough. Otherwise, the shoe was fairly responsive on the uneven terrain. T@z pointed out that unlike most trail shoe, it lack a toe protector. I think it is more suitable for road running which is where I intend to run most of the time. No more MR!

We changed shoes at the Ranger Station.

The Salomon XA Pro 3D on the other hand was much lighter than the TNFA50B and very comfortable. Had a bit of difficulty getting use to the laces though. Didn't managed to tie it tight enough and so the shoe felt a bit loose. But overall, I prefer this to the TNFA50B while on the trail.

Coming back to the start point, just before the fitness corner, tripped over a root or rock and went flying. Ended up with bruises all over, 3 stitches above the lip and a big bruised ego. Seem like I really not fated to run at MR:(

Medical Results

Just got the results of my latest medical. A 100% clean bill of health. No high blood, no high cholestrol, blood sugar okay, ECG okay blah blah blah.. of course that does not mean that I will not drop dead during my next run or any runs - touch wood!:) but it means I can continue to eat my pork trotters; char kway teow; laksa, you tiao for the next 1 year. Ha ha!

Spine Analysis

Passed by a road show offering a free back analysis. Since it was not crowded, allowed myself into being coaxed to do the test.

Had to stand on two weighing machine while the lady measured my back with two strings mounted on a frame. Surprised to find out my body is quite out of balance. My left side of the body is almost 10kg heavier than the right. No wonder when I run, I land so much more heavier on my left leg than the right.

Also, apparently the spine is tilted towards the left. Not too sure which come first, the out of balance weight or the out of alignment spine. Either way, according to the chiro, the outcome is there will be back pain, shoulder pain etc etc